The Agenda guide to landing a summer internship in Charlotte, including pay, perks and dress code at 13 high-profile companies

Read on to find out which company might be the right fit for you — or to find out what you’ve gotten yourself into. We’ve collected all the details we can on what they pay, what you’ll do and what you’ll wear at a summer internship in Charlotte.

Information below comes from company representatives and current and former interns the Agenda spoke with.

Want to update or add information? Email [email protected].

AvidXchange

How many interns are there each summer?

32 interns in multiple departments in the company.

What’s the pay like?

The pay is hourly, and the rate depends on which department you’re in.  Glassdoor lists estimates between $25 and $50 per hour.

What about hours?

Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. is the norm, but it’s flexible.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

• Intern responsibility is equal in weight to the load of full-time employees. You won’t be going on Starbucks runs.
• Amanda Conrad, a past marketing intern, ran social media for the company, helped the content writer with research, and wrote blog posts.
• Engineering interns are placed on a team of full-time software developers. This internship has the heaviest responsibility load of all the departments.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

No. Interns stay on the AvidXchange campus in the AvidXchange Music Factory.

Is there free parking?

Yes.

What’s the company culture like?

• Employees are high-energy, hard-working, collaborative and innovative.
• They love to have fun.
• Interns can join the basketball team among other sports teams.
• Ping pong, pool, shuffleboard, and a scrabble wall are in the main lobby.
• Surprise nerf gun wars are not out of the question.
• Lunches and ice cream socials are provided so interns can stay social.
• It’s diverse. Of the 32 interns, they come from 17 different universities.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

• Mentorship program
• An office gym with a yoga studio, a cycling studio, and a basketball court.
• Nursing staff in the office two days per week.

How should I dress?

Very casual and relaxed. Jeans and flip-flops are perfectly OK.

Is there full-time job potential?

Yes, and it’s very strong.

Check out their internship openings. 

Bank of America

How many interns are there each summer?

About 300 in Charlotte, 230 of which are undergrads alongside 60-70 graduate level students. The Global Technology and Operations department has the largest percentage of Charlotte interns.

What’s the pay like?

The salary is competitive. Compensation is “on par with peers and, in some cases, above,” the company says. Glassdoor pegs the pay at around $30 per hour, but that can vary widely based on the job.

What about hours?

Usually 40 hours a week over the 10-week internship. Sometimes more hours are needed based the current project’s workload, but this is rare.

Cierra, a past intern, told Agenda that in her experience there isn’t usually overtime hours expected. More often, they’re leaving early for a baseball game or other team outing.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

BofA prides itself on developing interns to become full-time associates. They’re treated just like full-time employees and put out work comparable to what full-time associates do. The whole point is to give interns a real-life look into what it’s like to work at BofA.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

If it’s part of your assignment, there is a chance you may travel long-distance for the needs of the project team. Interns also travel to one location for orientation at the beginning of the summer.

Is there free parking?

No. BofA supplements Uptown parking costs, but it is not free. Many interns carpool or use the light rail. 

What’s the company culture like?

• Team outings to baseball games are common.
• There are a lot of networking opportunities to cross paths with senior level employees over coffee chats or panel discussions. Higher-ups are pretty accessible to interns.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

• A housing stipend is provided within the first couple weeks of an intern’s start date. It’s calculated based on the distance between the housing and the internship office location.
• Scholarships are sometimes offered within certain programs. Scholarships are given to many interns as an incentive to convert to being a full-time employee.
• Gym memberships are offered at a discount.

How should I dress?

There is no written dress code, so it depends on the culture of the department you’re in. Some floors are more business casual, while others are more business professional.

Is there full-time job potential?

About 80 to 85 percent of interns become full-time employees.

See open internships here. 

Carolinas HealthCare System

How many interns are there each summer?

Last summer, there were 8.

What’s the pay like?

$10 an hour for corporate communications department interns.

What about hours?

40 hours per week. Overtime isn’t expected. 

How heavy is the responsibility load?

• Not as heavy as a full-time employee, as the internship experience is more focused on learning.

• Interns rotate throughout departments they’re interested in depending on their experience and interest. They spend a week or two in each department and work on projects with full-time employees.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

No, unless an opportunity presented itself and an intern was heavily interested in a project taking place in another hospital, like the Levine Cancer Institute, or the Concord or Pineville hospitals. So there could be local travel but never anything long distance.

Is there free parking?

Yes.

What’s the company culture like?

• Mentorship is important, and all departments are open and available for interns to spend time with.
• Intern lunch and learns for interns to socialize and network.
• Opportunities for team-building with sports and other activities.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

There’s a gym in the business park that interns have access to.

How should I dress?

Business casual to business professional. It varies on the day. Meetings with executives need a jacket and tie, but other days interns can go more business casual. 

Is there full-time job potential?

• Yes, a strong one. They’re looking to retain anyone who performs well and they keep in touch with interns in their junior year who aren’t quite ready to go full-time, but will be in the near future.
• They help interns make connections with their partners, including the YMCA and Bank of America.

See opportunities here. 

Duke Energy

How many interns are there each summer?

150-175.

What’s the pay like?

• It’s a very competitive pay package, with pay rates comparable to competitors. Glassdoor puts pay at $20/hour.
• Pay is organized by seniority; seniors will make more than juniors, etc.
• Duke Energy will fully pay for a furnished apartment, either through a stipend or a reimbursement. You’ll likely stay with another intern in the same department in a 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom apartment in South End.

What about hours?

• 40 hours a week for 10 weeks.
• Shifts will depend on the department.
• IT or finance interns will work typical 8-5 Monday to Friday shifts
• A student working in one of the power plants might work 10-hour shifts 4 days a week.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

It’s substantial. Interns are working on real projects that Duke Energy needs completed, so you can forget mindlessly making photocopies and bringing people coffee.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

It depends on which department you’re interning with.

• Environmental, Health and Safety (EHS) internships often involve fieldwork. This could involve going to a Duke Energy power plant site where an environmental assessment is needed, and there are multiple power plant locations in the surrounding Charlotte area and beyond. Interns usually travel with full-time employees, and all travel expenses would be covered and mileage would be reimbursed. Fossil/hydro operations interns may also need to visit these power plant sites.
• Interns in the Distribution or Transmission departments may also participate in field work, such as assessments of power lines that need repairs.
• Even if it’s not directly related to the project you’re working on, Duke Energy provides opportunities for students to travel to power plant sites and other facilities in order to expose them to as many Duke Energy locations as possible to achieve a fuller understanding of the company.

Is there free parking?

Again, depends on your department.

• If you’re working at one of the power plant sites, there is free parking.
• If your internship is based out of Duke Energy’s Uptown Charlotte office, they will subsidize your parking and cover a large proportion of your costs, but parking will not be free.
• If you take public transport to work like the bus or the light rail, you will be fully reimbursed for your transit pass. Duke Energy houses most interns in South End, so taking the Blue Line to work in Uptown is simple.

What’s the company culture like?

• Interns do a lot of community service together and participate in a variety of events. They do everything from Habitat for Humanity, to building birdhouses, to going to elementary schools to spark interest in engineering careers.
• There aren’t sports teams or company-organized social activities for interns, for the most part. Interns often create their own activities after work.
• There is a summer “kickoff” event where all the interns across departments are brought together for a day.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

• Interns have access to a 401K.
• There are 3 personal, paid days of leave available.
• Free public transportation passes and subsidized Uptown parking.

How should I dress?

• Corporate internships in Uptown should follow a business casual dress code.
• Power plant-based interns will usually need to wear personal protective equipment, such as long sleeves and steel-toed boots. Duke Energy provides some necessary equipment. 

Is there full-time job potential?

About 90% of entry-level positions are filled by former Duke Energy interns and co-op participants. So, yeah, there’s more than a fair shot at a full-time job.

Find an internship. 

EY (also known as Ernst & Young)

How many interns are there each summer?

70-75.

What’s the pay like?

It’s competitive and they pay overtime if necessary. Glassdoor puts monthly pay at around $4,000.

What about hours?

The usual is 40 hours per week. Depending on the project, interns can work 50 hour weeks in some cases, earning overtime pay. 

How heavy is the responsibility load?

• There’s no busy work. Interns do the legitimate client chargeable work of a full-time employee, just under the oversight of a mentor.
• Interns do pick up food when they must. You’ve got to be ready to do anything, whether it’s the work of a full-time employee or picking up dinner when your team is working overtime. 

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

Yes.

• Local travel is likely to EY’s offices in Raleigh or Greenville, S.C.
• Long-distance flight travel is also a possibility for client site visits, since you’ve got to go wherever the client is located. Recently, interns have flown to Seattle and Texas. Opportunities for long-distance travel all depend on which clients you’re working with and what projects you’re working on.
• Interns receive a corporate credit card to use for travel expenses on the job.

Is there free parking?

No. Most interns use open-air ground lots in Uptown which usually charge $6-$7 to park daily. Interns living in South End may opt to use the light rail to get to work in order to avoid parking costs.

What’s the company culture like?

• It’s a large, diverse workplace.
• There’s a lack of typical hierarchical structure in many ways. Interns are treated as equals.
• “Interns get treated better than the partners around here,” says Ryan Emerson, EY’s Carolinas Campus Recruiter. 
• Nobody really has assigned desks at EY because employees are so mobile for the benefit of clients.
• Interns have opportunity to network and socialize at the Carolinas Intern Leadership Program, which gathers all of the EY interns throughout the Carolinas for a 2 day event. Interns spend a day at the Whitewater Center doing team-building activities and then return to Uptown for happy hour, spend the following morning doing community service, and end the event with a few lunch and learn presentations.
• There are lots of other fun activities for interns.
• A trip to Lucky’s Bar and Arcade.
• Lunch and learns every Friday.
• At the end of July, all interns are flown down to Disney World for three and a half days.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

The EY Scholars Master’s Program awards about 60 interns across the U.S. with a full scholarship to get their master’s degree.

How should I dress?

EY’s dress code has recently evolved to jeans-inclusive around the office, although interns should be prepared to dress business professional for client meetings.

• On the first day with a client, dress business formal. If the client says you can dress down after that first meeting, then do so.
• Some interns keep dress clothes in their locker in case they need to go meet a client, but dress casually in the office.

Is there full-time job potential?

Yes. Companywide, all 3,400 of EY’s interns who were sent to the Disney World trip last summer got full-time offers. Of EY’s 74 Charlotte interns last summer, only 3 didn’t come back full-time.

Find internship details.

Charlotte Hornets

How many interns are there each summer?

42 (including 4 Greensboro Swarm interns)

What’s the pay like?

Unpaid. You must be able to receive academic credit.

What about hours?

20-40 hours per week.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

It depends on the internship. Interns are given responsibilities that team members would be given.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

No.

Is there free parking?

No.

What’s the company culture like?

Family, fun, young culture.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

Tickets to games and concerts, sit-down sessions with all executives, group project/presentation to executives.

How should I dress?

Business casual.

Is there full-time job potential?

Yes.

Find available internships.

Newell Brands

How many interns are there each summer?

Last summer there were 22 in Huntersville in the  following functions: Brand Marketing, Design Engineer, Materials Science, Packaging Engineer, Product Engineer, Quality Engineer, Sales, Sourcing.

What’s the pay like?

While they wouldn’t disclose a specific pay rate, they do provide compensation and housing stipend for interns. Glassdoor puts the range at $15 to $21 per hour.

What about hours?

40 hours per week for the 12-week program (May – August).

How heavy is the responsibility load?

With challenging projects and exciting work assignments, you’ll sharpen your skills and prepare yourself for bigger opportunities.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

Typically not, but depending on the projects interns are working with their managers on, it’s certainly possible.

Is there free parking?

Yes. Free, on-site parking

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

•  Relocation assistance
•  Assigned manager and mentor
•  Training
• Leadership exposure

•  Orientation, social activities and outreach events
•  Access to products from our extensive house of brands

How should I dress?

Business casual/casual (you can wear jeans to work every day!)

Is there full-time job potential?

There is a deep commitment from Newell Brands to make internships turn into lasting career opportunities. Many interns return to Newell and become full-time employees.

Find internship opportunities.

Novant Health

How many interns are there each summer?

It varies. There are paid and unpaid internships in clinical and nonclinical areas.

What’s the pay like?

Varies by position; some are paid, some are unpaid. Glassdoor says you can expect $14-$16 per hour for nonclinical jobs.

What about hours?

It varies by position, since Novant is a 24/7 organization.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

Determined by what area you are working in.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

Probably not.

Is there free parking?

Yes.

What’s the company culture like?

A diverse and inclusive culture focused on teamwork and providing the highest level of service to customers.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

No.

How should I dress?

It varies by position.

Is there full-time job potential?

All full-time positions are posted on website and interns are encouraged to apply.

See internship opportunities. 

Carolina Panthers

How many interns are there each summer?

About 25 seasonal and year-round.

What’s the pay like?

Typically minimum wage (that’s $7.25/hour).

What about hours?

Usually 8:30 – 5:30, but could vary based on business needs of the department.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

Varies based on department.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?  

Probably not.

Is there free parking?

Yes, it’s on-site.

What’s the company culture like?

Professional and business-like.

How should I dress?

Business casual.

Is there full-time job potential?

Interns have the opportunity to apply for any job openings.

Find internship opportunities. 

Premier

How many interns are there each summer?

Usually between 30 and 45. Last year, Premier had 37 interns.

What’s the pay like?

It depends on the position, but anywhere from $16 – $30 an hour. MBA students will get paid more than undergrads.

What about hours?

40 hours per week.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

It depends on the team, but interns generally work on individual projects and then come together for group projects. They get boardroom experience, professional development opportunities, etc.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

No travel, unless in a consulting role.

Is there free parking?

Yes.

What’s the company culture like?

Collaborative, innovative, and passionate about helping people.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

Social events, off-site team building and for interns over 21, 401k enrollment.

How should I dress?

Casual, occasionally business casual.

Is there full-time job potential?

Premier recruits heavily from their intern classes.

Find internship opportunities.

Red Ventures

How many interns are there each summer?

Between 10 and 12.

What’s the pay like?

$2,400 a month is the norm for intern salary. Engineering interns rake in $3,000 a month. 

What about hours?

They can vary depending on your workload, but 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. is normal.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

• It’s hefty. Interns join a team of full-time employees and take on equivalent work; there’s no distinction between an intern and a regular staff member. The only coffee you’ll be getting is for yourself.
• “One intern found an account we weren’t being paid properly for, and it ended up being a million dollars of revenue for us that we would’ve missed otherwise,” the company told us.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

Not really. There are team “outings,” but these are often hosted within facilities at the Red Ventures office.

Is there free parking?

Yes. 

What’s the company culture like?

• “Work hard, play hard.”
• You’ll work your tail off, but in a balanced environment that allows autonomy while still providing support and feedback.
•  A lot of fun activities are organized during the workday.
• A Charlotte Knights game in the dugout suite with dinner and drinks.
• A day of team-building at the Whitewater Center.
• Community service events, like basketball camp volunteers.
• Office scavenger hunts.
• Intramural sports leagues.
• Partake in the Red Ventures Beer Mile, where employees run a mile and then have a few beers together.
• There aren’t boundaries between interns and higher-ups. RED talks (their version of TED talks) provide an easy way for interns to connect with employees higher up in the company.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

• Interns are housed in a shiny new South End apartment complex at no cost to them. Apartments are fully furnished and a parking space is included.
• A lot of meals end up being paid for through company events, and social events are paid for as well.
• The office itself offers tons of amenities. Among them:
• Bowling alley
• Basketball court
• A full gym that hosts fitness classes, ranging from bootcamp-style classes to yoga and meditation classes
• Cycling studio
• A cafe serving pizza, salad, sushi, etc. where the average meal is $3-5
• Tennis courts are opening in October
• Putting green
• Beer garden on the rooftop
• Running trail
• You’ll leave certified in Google Ad Words and Analytics; you’ll be able to run and manage an entire campaign.

How should I dress?

Very casually. Think jeans and a T-shirt. You’ll dress up maybe one or two times for a presentation or a partner visit, and even then it’s optional. 

Is there full-time job potential?

• 8 out of 11 interns this summer joined Red Ventures full time. You’ve got a good shot.
• They keep their internship intentionally small so everyone hired for an internship at Red Ventures is hired with the likelihood of a full-time offer after the internship if they perform well.
• If you end up feeling like Red Ventures isn’t the right place for you, the company opens up their network to find a better fit for you.

Find internship opportunities. 

Wells Fargo

How many interns are there each summer?

About 200 in Charlotte. 

What’s the pay like?

It’s well above minimum wage for all positions, but specific pay varies between department and qualifications. MBA students will earn more than undergraduate students.

What about hours?

40 hours per week. Overtime is common for some internships, like investment banking, but extra hours are always paid.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

You’ll have the same responsibilities as your full-time team members.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

• No long-distance travel, except for centralized trainings or orientations for some internships in which interns are brought together in one city. Wells Fargo covers all expenses for these trips.
• Shorter-term travel around the Charlotte area is common, since Wells Fargo has multiple facilities in the area.

Is there free parking?

No. You’re on your own to find the best-priced Uptown parking, though Wells Fargo offers suggestions. Many interns take the light rail. 

What’s the company culture like?

• Higher level executives are very reachable and want to help interns succeed.
• Interns do a lot of volunteer service together. Wells Fargo has their own database for volunteer events going on in the city that employees can sign up for.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

There’s a walking treadmill you can take your meetings on if you’re getting bored of sitting around.

How should I dress?

Business casual. 

Is there full-time job potential?

Yes.

• Interns who are rising seniors will receive full-time offers if they performed well, and rising juniors will receive offers to return for a second internship.
• Over 80% of interns return full-time or for a second internship.

Find internship opportunities.

Wray Ward

How many interns are there each summer?

Wray Ward hires seven interns in different concentrations: Client Engagement & Project Management, Copywriting, Digital Media, Graphic Design, Public Relations, UX Design & Development, and Video.

What’s pay like?

The Wray Ward FORM internship is an 8-week, full-time paid summer internship.

What about hours?

Workday hours are 8:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Some days may run longer, but most are within those hours.

How heavy is the responsibility load?

FORM is full-time and interns are key members of the team. Interns work closely with each other and with mentors on an actual client or community initiative project. Interns are tasked with real-world problems to solve with solutions that can be turned into something tangible.

Will I have to travel outside of the office?

Minimal travel will be required outside of the office.

Is there free parking?

Yes, Wray Ward is located in the Dilworth neighborhood outside Uptown and has ample parking.

What’s the company culture like?

Wray Ward is home to more than 100 creative thinkers, dreamers and questioners who love what they do and believe in the motto, “we” not “me.” The full-service agency creates inspired marketing communications through impromptu brainstorming meetings in the sunroom, collaborative meetings across aisles, heated discussions about the latest Netflix series, monthly cake days and ongoing ping-pong rivalries. Employees also enjoy going to Panthers’ and Knights’ games together, engage in community service projects and let loose at annual company parties.

Are there any extra perks or benefits?

Foosball and ping-pong tables are onsite to let off a little steam. There is also beer and La Croix for those under 21.

How should I dress?

Wray Ward is the casual side of business casual attire. Jeans and sneakers are fine, but it never hurts to be dressy.

Is there full-time job potential?

FORM is a tremendous learning experience. While there is full-time job potential after internship completion, it is not guaranteed.

Apply here. Deadline is February 26.

Want to update or add information? Email [email protected]. Looking for job instead of an internship? View over 150 job openings at Charlotte growth companies on the Agenda job board.